Hazardous Materials
Hazardous Materials tests shipping papers, placards, labels, loading, parking, and emergency response. The goal is to keep incompatible materials apart and ensure responders can identify the hazard.
Core rules
- Keep shipping papers within reach while driving and include emergency response information.
- Use the correct placards and labels. Placards generally are required when 1,001 pounds or more of a hazardous material are loaded, or when the rules require them for a specific material or package.
- Check compatibility before loading. Secure containers so they cannot shift, leak, or be damaged.
- Do not park a HazMat vehicle near open flames, crowded places, or tunnels where parking is prohibited. Follow local tunnel and bridge restrictions.
- Stop at railroad crossings as required and avoid routes that increase risk.
Worked example
A vehicle carries 1,200 pounds of a Class 3 flammable liquid in non-bulk packages. Because the amount is at or above 1,001 pounds, the vehicle needs the Class 3 placard. Reasoning: the threshold is based on aggregate gross weight of the material, not on the number of boxes.
Traps
Using a placard that does not match the shipping paper; leaving shipping papers in a sleeper berth; and loading an oxidizer next to a flammable liquid without checking compatibility.